Monday, April 24, 2017

Moda Be My Neighbor



Moda is not just a great fabric manufacturer, but also has a wonderful website where they offer free projects for those who love to sew and quilt. 

One of their latest offerings is a free Sew-Along called Be My Neighbor.  I have finally finished mine!  This is a HUGE quilt -- 64" x 84 1/2".  There are 16 blocks in all, 4 down and 4 across, of a variety of house motifs.   An appliqued bird sits atop one of the structures in each row.  This was a great scrap stash buster and a lot of fun to make.


This is such a big quilt, I do not intend to try to quilt it myself, so my next step is to take it to my long-arm quilter, Diana Whitfield Hall (https://www.facebook.com/longarmquiltingbydyna/) and let her do her magic. She always does a fantastic job and if I take her the fabric she will put the binding on for me, too.     

Below is the finished quilt as featured on Bear Creek Quilting Company https://www.bearcreekquiltingcompany.com/moda-be-my-neighbor-2016/


Moda Be My Neighbor Free Quilt Pattern


I love the colors they used and fashioned my own quilt after theirs.  It looks as though they have added some embroidered writing on theirs, which I think adds a nice touch.  Maybe I will do the same to mine.

The pattern is still available from several sites, including Bear Creek Quilting Company, if you are interested in making one of these quilts for yourself.   




Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Frivols

Look what I found on sale at Green Fairy Quilts ( www.greenfairyquilts.com ) - Frivols!

Moda's definition:

Fri - vol noun:
A collection of little treasures in a limited edition tin.

These little cuties contain a pattern and enough fabric (42 7" squares) to make a small quilt top.  They are just the perfect size for a weekend quilting project and make nice little gifts or accent pieces to brighten your decor.

I wanted them all, but settled on just three --

Little Miss Sunshine, Lella Boutique

Sew 'n' Sew, Chloe's Closet

Strawberry Fields Revisited, Fig Tree & Co.

I can't wait to get started on them!


Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Jungle Quilt

My friends' little boy Aidan isn't a baby any longer.  He is graduating to a toddler bed and needs a new big boy cover.  The last quilt I made him was a giraffe, which he still loves to drag about, so keeping with the same jungle theme, I made him a new quilt.

I found a really cute baby quilt called Yoo Hoo on the Internet, but it only measured 35" x 44" and I needed it to be bigger.  So using it as my guide, I made my own version.  (You can click on the picture and it will take you to the Lambs & Ivy website where I found it.)


https://lambsivy.com/collections/yoo-hoo


With the animals in mind, I made my background first, using big scraps of fabrics I had on hand  The overall background measured approximately 36" x 40".  The left side measured 12" x 40" and the right side was a little wider at 16" x 40".

Once the background was made, I drew my animals on the back side of Christmas paper (my favorite pattern paper)  and appliqued them in place. 


































I added a 3" pale blue gingham border to the quilt.


For their faces, I used slick fabric paint (I used Tulip brand).  I could have embroidered their features, too, but since this is for a rambunctious little boy and the quilt is likely to be laundered often, I felt paint would better suit his needs.  (When I make quilts for babies and toddlers, I avoid using buttons or embellishments that can be removed and swallowed.)






 
I left the paint to dry overnight, then the next day I added the final borders to the quilt.  To the border of pale blue gingham I added a 1-1/2" turquoise blue border.  The last border was a 5" plaid print.  After binding the quilt, it measured approximately 46" x 60", the perfect size for Aidan's new toddler bed.